I'll always come for you
by KHighness
Summary: Jason and Sam have been to hell and back, more than once, usually because someone underestimates the depth of what they feel for each other, or the lengths one will go to protect the other. Guess they will just have to keep showing people how strong their love really is.


_A one shot tribute to my favorite Soap couple of all time - Supercouple, I should say - General Hospital's Jason and Samantha Morgan, as they welcome their second child, conceived in so much love, their long awaited Baby Girl Morgan. I used a lot of the beautiful dialogue from their recent scenes but changed a few things to suit my preference._

Jason had never felt so many conflicting emotions all at once in his entire life. He was consumed with anger, a rage so intense that the focus of his hatred would drop dead at just the sight of the iciness of his raging blue eyes. Thinking again about his eight months' pregnant wife being pushed off a bridge and left to die only intensified his urge to kill. But as Jason looked at his beautiful, petite, brunette, laying in the hospital bed, a tube inserted to help her breathe, he also felt an immense surge of love, protectiveness, fear, sadness, guilt, and helplessness. He was so awash with varying degrees of emotions that he found himself pacing restlessly, as he studied his wife's face, pausing every now and again to run shaking hands through his short blond hair. She had been kidnapped, driven to a bridge across town, thrown from that bridge ( _she didn't say but he knew in his heart that she didn't accidentally fall_ ), and left out in the snow for twenty four fucking, horrifying hours. Her injuries were so severe that she had coded on the operating table, a fact the stopped his breath short when Epiphany shared it with him earlier while she relayed news of Sam's procedure. Epiphany had the foresight to hurry and cajole him then with news that the doctors had been successful in restarting her heart quickly and the procedure was going well. Jason would have sworn that he'd died a little at hearing that his precious Sam was critical. For the longest while he couldn't understand what they were talking about, as both Robin and Epiphany tried to explain the procedure to him. His mind kept traveling back to the scene, seeing his delicate, beautiful, vibrant, Sam, laying still and unmoving at the bottom of the bridge. He'd never slid so fast in his life as he catapulted himself down the side of the structure to get to her. Please, God, he remembered praying, please let her be alive. Mercifully, she was and as he covered her hands with his own, she'd whispered his name, her voice raspy and ragged with pain and sheer relief.

"I'm here, I'm here. Oh, God baby, you're so cold." Her hands felt like icicles to his touch, as he laid one hand over hers and reached for her face with the other. She was gasping in pain, trying to tell him who had done this to her.

"My mother's sponsor, Jason, she's not who she says she is."

He wanted to take the pain away, she was panting between words. "Shh, I know, baby, I know. It's all coming out, I know."

She winced suddenly, then yelled out in agony, her upper body lifting off the ground with the force of the pain. "Ouuu, Jason, it hurts, ouuu."

He put his forehead to hers as he held her close, "breathe through it baby, breathe, breathe," he tried anxiously to soothe and coax her through the contraction. She was obviously in labor. As the pain seemed to subside, he reached his arms around her torso. "Put your arms around my neck, I'm going to carry you out of here."

Sam wrapped her arms around her husband's neck, but then another contraction crashed through her back, causing her to cry out again from the force of it. "Oouuu, it's too late Jason, the contractions are coming too close together, ooouuu."

Jason was frantic, he needed to get her someplace warm, but he couldn't move her, not when their daughter was insisting to emerge right then. He would have to deliver their precious cargo right there, out in the freezing cold, exposed to the elements. His wife was crying out as another contraction hit her tiny frame.

"Sam, listen to me sweetheart, I called the ambulance and they'll be here soon. Hold on, honey, just hold on."

"It's no use Jason, they won't get here in time." She was screaming through another contraction wracking her tiny body. "She's coming now, Jason."

He couldn't let her see how worried he was. She was in full blown labor and he needed to keep her as calm as he could. His heart ached at the sight of his love crying in pain.

"Promise me something, Jason. Promise me that you will take our daughter and go, get her to the hospital as soon as she comes out." She grabbed her husband's hand for emphasis, "promise that as soon as I have our daughter that you'll get her out of here."

"Yes, Sam, I'll get you both out of here as soon as she gets here."

"No, no, Jason. You have to leave me and get her out of here, promise me."

"I can get you both out, Sam."

She was shaking her head stubbornly, "you won't be able to carry both of us up that hill."

"Yes, I will." What was she asking him to do? Did she really think that he could ever leave her? She might as well have asked him to run a stake through his own heart, he would've sooner done that than ever leave her.

"No, Jason, you have to promise me. Promise to get her someplace warm."

"Sam, I can't…" he started to say.

She had grabbed him forcefully again and yelled at him that time, repeating her impassioned plea. Jason had reluctantly promised her, knowing he was lying, that he would never, ever leave her, never in a million years, but knowing that he had to get her calm and ready to push through the next contraction. In almost a haze, he'd removed his brave wife's boots and her jeans and panties, covering her lower extremities with his leather jacket to provide his fragile daughter some semblance of cover from the elements as she emerged to their harsh circumstances. Sam had been strong just like the little dynamo he knew her to be, and she had heroically pushed her way through the pain and the fatigue, giving birth to their miracle daughter, in a most dire situation. Their baby girl had emerged without a sound, stopping both their hearts when they realized that she hadn't cried, raising never distant memories of her older sister who had tragically not taken a single breath when she was born. As a very worried and petrified Sam looked on, Jason had ministered CPR to his fragile newborn, rubbing her chest gingerly with his fingers as he blew soft breaths into her, coaxing her to take one of her own. With his fearful wife encouraging him to save their baby, Jason had tried everything. "C'mon, Scout, take a breath sweetheart. Please, breathe for daddy."

After what seemed like an eternity, her tiny little chest had risen, as she inhaled and exhaled her first breaths, letting out a healthy wail in protest to the cold. That sound had been music to his ears, and as he'd turned to reassure his worried wife, answering her question with a resounding yes, that their precious little one was doing just fine, his worry had vigorously returned as he saw Sam collapsed once again on the ground. He'd called her name and prodded her until she regained consciousness, and he knew he could no longer wait for the dallying ambulance but that he had to get his girls out of that wretched ravine and to the hospital immediately. His Phoenix had risen yet again to hold onto their daughter for dear life, as he climbed his way to the top of the ravine, to find the ambulance rambling in, sirens blaring. As a sigh of extreme relief left his body, he looked down at his girls in his arms as his wife said, "Jason, I hear sirens."

"Yes, they're here, baby. We're almost home, honey. I've got you." He was rocking her in his arms as she held onto their daughter, looking up at his face, the pain she was in still evident in her eyes.

"I love you," she said softly.

"I love you too." He was still rocking her, looking earnestly in her eyes so she'd know that he would never be able to keep a promise like the one she'd plied from him earlier. Not to her, not ever. "I love you, too," he repeated, his voice cracking. "Don't you ever ask me to leave you again."

"Okay," she mumbled.

"Okay?"

"Mmhm."

"Just hold on a little bit, we're almost there." But as he said the words he saw his love sway as her head rolled back, out cold once again. "Hey!" He shrieked so loud he drowned out the sirens. "My wife needs help! Over here!"

The EMTs had to pry his baby from his wife's arms because she held her so tightly to her chest, even as she herself was passed out. They'd then took Sam from his arms too and frantically worked to stabilize her for the trip to General Hospital. The rest of it was almost a blur to Jason, the ride in the ambulance, a few minutes seeming like hours before they rolled up and rushed his family inside, him running alongside the gurney, not moving an inch further from where he could be grasping Sam's still cold hand. He knew she had to have been hyperthermic at that point, having spent twenty-four hours in the cold, but the weather paled in comparison to his real worries, which stemmed around the fact that Sam had lost so much blood. She had kept bleeding after giving birth to their daughter, and Jason immediately thought back to when she gave birth to Lila, when her blood would not clot and she wouldn't wake up for days. He remembered being petrified at the time that she would never wake up, and as he held her hand now and relayed to the doctors that their daughter wasn't breathing when she was first born but that soon after she took her first breath and that she seemed fine after that, he knew he would not leave Sam's side. Even when Sam pleaded with him to go with their newborn to the NICU to be examined, he couldn't let go of her hand. He remembered that she had almost slipped away from him that first time, she'd wished that she'd died when she found out that Lila did, and he couldn't bear to be parted from her for a second. He knew that his daughter was fine, she had released several very loud and healthy cries on the way to the hospital, her lungs sounding quite strong and clear, and her color was a rosy pink. As the nurses swaddled her in blankets and prepared to roll her upstairs alongside the Neonatologist who assured the parents that she would run a full barrage of tests, he knew that Sam needed him more. He was so scared to let her out of his sight, so scared that if he did that she would slip away somehow.

The doctor had to pry her hand from his so that they could wheel her away for treatment, and as he watched her now, after hours of surgery to repair internal injuries caused from the fall, Jason knew that as certain as he would die for her, that he will kill for her too. He had made her a solemn promise after they'd gotten their lives back that he would never kill for business again, but he realized that he would be breaking another promise to his wife, because somebody was going to die for what they did to her. They were all going to die. Every single one of them responsible for her injuries, for putting her life and the life of their unborn child on the line, were going to die a painful death. His peaceful, energetic, caring, giving wife did nothing to them, but they had tried to take her life because of who she was related to. They were as good as dead. But they would have to wait. His family needed him right now. His brave little son and feisty new daughter needed him, needed their fierce and nurturing mother, so he would put all his energy into getting Sam to wake up, he would get her out of danger, and then he would make them all pay.

Jason moved closer to the bed, leaning over her to kiss her forehead gently, breathing her in, before seating himself in the chair by her bed and taking her soft, limp hand in his own as he sat. His voice was breaking again as he spoke to her. "Hey, Mighty Mouse. I need you to wake up, okay? You gave me a scare there, and I've never been more frightened in my life, so I need to see your beautiful brown eyes now, okay?"

He stroked her cheek with the back of his hand as he held the other to his lips and whispered against them, "I'm sorry it took me so long to find you, baby, I should'v come for you sooner." He couldn't stop the tears welling up in his eyes as he thought about her spending the night on the cold ground, freezing, alone, and hurt. She must've been so scared. "I know you're in pain, sweetheart, and you just want to sleep but I'm so scared that you'll just slip away from me." He rained soft kisses down on her hand, "please don't leave me, baby. Please, please wake up."

He prayed that her fingers would move against his lips, or that her eyes would flutter open, but nothing happened. The sound of the beeping machines were the only accompaniment to his anguished pleas. "You need to wake up so you can hold your baby girl, Sam. We've wanted her for so long, and now she's here. You fought so hard to protect her out there, sweetheart, and now she's safe and warm and missing you. She needs you baby, our little boy needs you." He let his lips linger on her fingers before he choked out, "I need you. Please come back to me, Sam."

Before he knew it Jason found himself reliving and recounting their past as his wife laid motionless before him. He recalled how they'd met at the police station, how he'd been such a loner at that time, having given up on love and family, having resigned himself to working and protecting Sonny's family. He'd had nothing to live for and he'd liked it that way, having had his heart broken one too many times, first by Robin Scorpio when she'd betrayed his trust by telling AJ about Michael, and then again by Sonny's sister, Courtney, who had promised to love him forever but had run for cover the minute his life became too real for her. He had never wanted to love again, was done with relationships, until spitfire McCall had sauntered into his life and captured his heart all to herself. They had been through so much and through everything, Sam had been steadfast by his side, never failing to face it all with him. When he'd faltered, she'd caught him, when he'd doubted, she'd reassured him, and when he'd been stupid, she'd called him on it. There was nothing she hadn't done for him and those he cared about, from giving him and Sonny a well needed alibi, to risking her life and freedom to help Michael, to standing by Carly when she lost her grip on reality, to facing every danger in his life and taking it on as her own, because she wanted to be with him. Jason recalled it all and he knew that lesser women would have fled, in fact, a few had, and he knew now as he'd always known, that there's nothing he wouldn't do for her. He would readily lay down and die for her, as she had proven she would do for him, but right now he wanted her to live, wanted her to raise their children with him, wanted her to share a lifetime annoying their children and growing old together.

"Okay, Sam, you rest now baby. I'm going to go see our daughter and tell her how much her mommy loves her and that you'll see her really soon, okay?" He got up and kissed her forehead again, "I'll let you sleep now, but then you have to promise to wake up soon for me, okay?" He kissed her lips softly, "I love you, Sam, so much."

Jason went to the nursery where he found Sam's mom Alexis and his mother Monica, ogling their new granddaughter. He smiled and shook his head at the women. Between the two of them Danny and Scout would be the most spoiled children in the world. He realized strangely that he didn't mind knowing that. He and Sam couldn't relate to being spoiled as children, him because his accident had left him brain damaged and erased all those memories, and Sam had grown up with adoptive parents who spent more time using her to run a con than they bothered teaching her how to be a kid. They both wanted a large family for their children, wanted for them to know what their parents had missed out on. As he watched both grandmothers coo and awe over his daughter, Jason found himself thinking how Sam would love to be seeing this. He felt the anger starting to build in him again. She was supposed to be enjoying these precious first moments with their bundle of joy, instead someone else's callous actions had left her fighting for her life, again. He was so sick and tired of people hurting his beloved. In that instant Jason knew what he had to do, and it couldn't wait any longer. He moved into the room, soft footsteps finally announcing his presence to the besotted grandmothers. His mother smiled widely when she saw him.

"Oh, Jason, she's just adorable!" Monica hugged her son as he moved to stand over his daughter's crib and smile down at her sleeping face.

"She is, isn't she?" He could feel his smile spreading to his heart. "She looks just like Sam, mom."

"Yes, she does, son. Just as beautiful as her mother."

Alexis gingerly touched the little pink hat covering her tiny head and she squirmed, drifting back to sleep, oblivious to the raptured attention that she garnered. "My daughter did good. She's so precious, Jason."

The proud papa was lifting the little pink bundle from the crib now, cupping her delicate little head in one hand as the other cradled her like a football to his chest. He kissed her nose ever so lightly as she squirmed and stretched her tiny hands and feet, gurgling at being roused from slumber. "Hey there, little one," he whispered. "Your mommy is asleep right now but as soon as she wakes up she'll want to see you again. She needs her rest right now, okay, but mommy and daddy love you more than anything and we're so happy that you're here. We've been waiting to meet you for so long, and mommy is going be super excited that you're finally here." Jason lovingly rocked his daughter, who had gone right back to sleep in his hands. "Daddy has to run out for a minute so you be good for mommy, okay? I promise I'll be back very soon, sweetheart. Hopefully mommy will be awake and we'll both come see you really soon." He kissed her tiny little fist before he laid her back down in her warm crib. "You be good for grandma, okay?"

Alexis and Monica exchanged knowing looks. Monica spoke up worriedly, "Jason, are you sure you should be leaving the hospital right now? Sam could wake up at any minute and she will want to see you."

Jason knew that she was trying to guilt him into staying for Sam, so he would put off what they all knew he wanted to do. He turned to his mother and gave her a half smile. "Don't worry, mom, I won't be long. I want to be here when Sam wakes up so I won't be gone long."

He knew she would continue to try and he couldn't be persuaded so he asked her the one thing he wanted to know before he took off, "how's Danny?"

His mother smiled at the sound of her grandson's name. "Danny's fine. He was worried that his mom hadn't called him all day but Kristina came by and took him to Alexis' and promised him a Minion movie night. I told him that Sam was with you and that he would see you both very soon."

"Thanks, mom." Jason pulled out his cell phone as he moved to the corridor to call their son. He had called and spoken to him once already but wanted to say goodnight to him now. He listened as the phone rang, before Kristian answered. "Jason? Any change?" Kristina wasn't using Sam's name, which meant Danny was right there in earshot.

"They're both fine, Kristina. Sam still hasn't woken up yet and Scout is sleeping warm and sound right now. How's Danny?"

"He's right here." He heard Kristan tell Danny his dad was on the phone, then the sweet sound of his little boy's voice was melody to Jason's ear. "Hi, daddy."

"Hey, buddy. Are you being good for Aunty Krissy?"

"Yes. Daddy, when are you coming home?"

"Soon, buddy. Mommy and I can't wait to see you."

"Where's mommy, daddy? She didn't come see me all day and she said she would. Mommy never breaks a promise."

"I know buddy, but like I told you earlier, Scout wanted out of mommy's tummy really badly so mommy let her out today, and now mommy is resting, okay? Having your sister made mommy really, really tired, but we will see you very soon, I promise." Jason looked heavenward as he silently begged God to let him be able to keep that promise to his son.

"Okay, daddy. Tell mommy I love her, and Scout too."

"I will buddy. You be good for your aunty and I'll see you tomorrow. I love you Danny, and mommy loves you so much too."

"Love you too, night daddy."

"Goodnight, buddy."

Jason hung up the phone and turned to give his daughter one last look before heading out, surprised to see Alexis standing right behind him just outside the door to the nursery.

She took a tentative step forward. "Jason, what are you planning to do?"

Jason stared at her blankly. "I have to run and errand, then I'll be back."

"I know damn well what kind of errand you have in mind, Jason, and I think you should rethink this. You don't want my daughter to wake up and find you gone, or worse, behind bars."

He was powerless to stop the sudden tears that stung at his eyes. "My wife was eight months pregnant, and that woman didn't care. She didn't care that she left Sam out there to freeze to death, in case the fall hadn't killed her. I hope the police find her and throw away the key."

Alexis knew that he had no intention of letting the police handle anything, but that the seasoned mobster in him would not allow him to incriminate himself by admitting anything to her. Still, she knew how he and Sonny operated, and she knew Olivia Jerome was as good as dead. She had to try again. She took another step toward him, pleading, "Julian is Sam's father, Jason. He is somehow mixed up in this, but you have to remember that Sam will not thank you for killing her father, despite his bad judgement in all of this."

"Alexis, I'm going to pretend that I didn't just hear you defending the man who stood by and let his deranged sister target my wife without doing a damn thing to stop her, or telling anybody about her. Julian deserves anything that crazy bitch does to him, and I wouldn't lift a finger to help him. Now, I have to go, so I can come back before Sam wakes up. Please, Alexis, do not leave her side. I don't want her to wake up alone and scared, promise me that you'll stay with her until I get back."

"Sam is my daughter, Jason. Of course I'll be sitting with her while you're gone, but I still think this is a foolish idea and Sam would not approve."

Jason stopped listening after she promised to stay with Sam. He turned his back and without another word he strode out into the hallway and headed for the elevator. Elizabeth and Franco were at the nurse's station, giggling about something or other. They barely registered as Jason pressed the button and waited, impatiently tapping his hand against his leg, as the elevator took forever to climb. "Jason, you're leaving?" She was more than a little surprised, he was known for sitting vigil at Sam's bedside every single time that she had allowed herself to fall prey to some foolish and ill conceived plan of hers. Sam had successfully conned Jason into marrying her and believing that she loved him, had even gone as far as to get herself pregnant, twice. Why Jason couldn't see her true colors was beyond her. She looked at his ragged appearance, his eyes said he hadn't slept in days, Sam's blood was still on his shirt because she had been carless enough to be running around investigating some case while she was pregnant, had gotten Jason caught up in some dangerous situation of her making once again. Elizabeth wished she could shake some sense into her friend and make him see that Sam was no good for him. She didn't know how long she would have to feign interest in Franco before Jason realized that she was who he was meant to be with and come get Franco out of the way so they could be together. Too bad whoever had pushed Sam off the bridge hadn't finished the job. Damn bitch had nine lives, like a fucking cat, Elizabeth thought to herself.

"Yeah, I'll be back soon." Jason hit the button again impatiently. He really wasn't up for a conversation with these two right now. His phone was beeping so he checked hurriedly, hoping it was the text from Spinelli.

"Anything good?" She pried, hoping he'd stick around and talk. She knew he was jealous over seeing Franco all over her all the time, but knowing Jason, he kept his true feelings hidden until he can't hide them anymore. She knew that's why he had gone off on Franco almost every time he'd seen him, saying he was concerned about Franco being around his son only for Sam's benefit. Elizabeth knew the truth, Jason wanted to be a family with her and Jake, but he felt obligated to stay with Sam because she kept popping out babies, trapping him.

Jason was moving towards the stairs. Damn elevator had him trapped in her meaningless babble because it was taking forever. He didn't have time for this.

"Yeah, something I've been waiting on. I have to go." He literally broke out into a run as he shoved the door open and took the stairs two at a time to get to the ground floor. Spinelli's text had a location on the SUV that had picked up Sam from the hospital. He didn't even look back to notice how she stared longingly after his receding back, or how Franko was looking at them with hatred in his eyes.

Jason had pieced most of it together that afternoon while he waited for Sam to wake up. The last time he had talked to his wife she was in the parking garage of the hospital, telling him that she was early for an unscheduled appointment that Dr. Lee's office had called her in for. He had wanted to be there with her, even after she had insisted that he didn't need to be, but by the time he'd finished talking Sonny down from his latest crisis and had gotten to the hospital Lucas told him that he had just missed Sam. That was almost five thirty p.m. If he'd just missed her then Liv must have gotten to her between when he called her at four thirty and sometime before five thirty. He'd had Spinelli use that information to search traffic light cameras for cars leaving the hospital during that time frame. Spinelli's search had narrowed it down to an SUV registered in Julian Jerome's name, leaving the hospital garage and headed towards the bridge. Then the cyber genius figured out that the SUV was equipped with a Lojack system that allowed him to track it to it's current location, parked outside the Cosmopolitan Hotel just on the outskirts of town.

As he hit the garage and moved rapidly towards his car, Jason dialed another number. Sonny picked up on the second ring. "Jason, what's going on?"

"Treasure hunt's over - we have yellow. I need a team." Numerous run ins with the Feds taught Jason a long time ago to be wary as you never know who might be listening.

"Of course, anything you need, brother. Where and when?"

"My place, yesterday." He hung up and sped towards the penthouse, strategizing as he drove.

Thirty minutes later Jason was leading the way to the Cosmopolitan, Max and Milo riding with him, with Reggie, Alonzo, and Marty following in a second SUV. Spinelli had just confirmed that Julian's SUV hadn't moved, and in another ten minutes Jason was hoping to take them by surprise. He sent a quick text to Monica to check on his family at the hospital and one minute later she replied that Sam was still out, while she attached a photo of Scout taking a bottle. Jason looked at the photo and felt so much love in that instant that it blew his mind. His kids and his wife were everything, and he'd be damned if someone would ever get away with hurting them. Milo piped up from the backseat where he'd gotten a glimpse of the screen. "Is that her?" he asked eagerly.

Jason glanced up at the rearview mirror to look at him as he reached back to hand him the phone for a closer look, "yeah, this is Scout."

"Wow, she's beautiful, man. Spitting image of Sam." Milo had always had a crush on Sam, she was beautiful and so nice, Jason Morgan was one lucky bastard. Max was curious as he took the phone from Milo to see for himself, "Scout?"

Jason chuckled softly. "Yeah, it's Danny's name for her, so Sam and I started calling her that too." He got somber again, thinking how his wife needed to wake up to choose a name for their daughter.

"Is that it?" Max asked as Jason turned into the alley behind the hotel, scanning the parking lot as they drove by. Jason checked the plate, "yeah, cocky bitch is still here."

Two minutes later Jason and Max were scanning the first floor room from the outside, where Spinelli had tracked Julian's phone. Reggie and Alonzo were watching the back door in case they tried to make a run for it. Marty and Milo kept the trucks running for a quick getaway.

Jason could see Olivia Jerome through the window, she was pacing back and forth by the bed, a glass in one hand, openly berating a subdued Julian about how he'd failed her and how their daddy would have been so disappointed in him. Julian was sitting on the floor, apparently cuffed to the radiator. Jason didn't feel an ounce of pity for his obvious predicament. When he got through with the man he'd wish his demented sister had finished him off. At his signal Max kicked in the hotel door and walked in, gun drawn and aimed at Olivia's head. Jason followed, slowly, in time to see the startled woman drop the glass she'd been drinking from and rush to grab her purse, where her gun must have been idling.

"Do it, give me one more reason to send you back to the dead where you came from." The ice dripping from Jason's words stopped her in her tracks. She held her arms out, palms out as she slowly turned to look at Port Charles' dreaded mob enforcer, his outstretched arm completely steady as he aimed his gun between her eyes. Her mind was racing, trying to come up with a plan to take control of the situation and fast. "Well, if it isn't my nephew-in-law? Mr. Morgan I've been looking forward to making your acquaintance, I've heard a great deal about you."

Jason moved toward her slowly, gun not wavering from her head as he tried to reign in the emotions that threatened to consume him. "Oh, yeah? Obviously, you haven't heard the right things, like targeting my family is a sure fire way to get a bullet through your brain. Or that pushing my eight months' pregnant wife from a bridge means you die in agonizing pain." Jason didn't miss the panic that flashed in her cold eyes, as she realized what he'd said. How would he know that she pushed his wife, had Sam somehow survived that fall? There was no way.

He heard Julian's anguished voice from where he sat on the floor. "You _pushed_ her? You bitch, you said she fell. How could you do that to my daughter?"

Jason moved to the desk and emptied the contents of the purse, grabbing the handcuff key and tossing it at Julian, who caught it between his hands, thanking his lucky stars that his son-in-law was proving to be the badass his reputation had him painted as. His relief was short-lived, however, when as soon as he rose to his feet, Max grabbed the cuffs and snapped them back in place on his hands, poking him with the tip of his gun, gesturing towards the open door.

"What the hell are you doing? I'm not a part of this! You can see for yourself that she's had me locked up in here. Get these damn things off me!"

His pleas were falling on deaf ears, as Jason had taken up Olivia's gun from the desk and used it to motion her to the door as well, not bothering to answer Julian, watching as Max shoved the man in the direction he had pointed earlier. Jason drove them to one of the warehouses on the pier, where his team roughly escorted the two inside to stand before what was obviously a very large walk-in freezer. Julian was in a panic. He couldn't understand how his life had gotten to this. One minute he was a happy man, married to his childhood sweetheart, enjoying his ever growing family that comprised of their daughter, his step daughters, his sons and grandson, the next his deranged sister had shown up back in town, forcing him to derail his entire life, threatening everyone that he cared about, and now his son-in-law was about to kill him and throw his body in a freezer because he thought he'd had something to do with hurting his daughter. His strong, level headed, opinionated daughter was a blessing to him and he would never hurt her, yet here he was about to die because he hadn't been able to protect her. He had to try and get through to Jason.

"Look, Morgan, I know you're angry about what happened to Sam, so am I. Olivia went too far when she targeted Sam to send a message, but I had nothing to do with it. You have to believe me."

Jason looked at him coldly. He didn't relish the thought of killing Sam's father, hadn't planned on killing anyone since the plan was to turn the entire investigation over to the police once he and Curtis figured out who killed Morgan Corinthos. He had walked away completely from this part of the business and had no intention of ever seeing it again, his family was too important. But these two had hurt his family, had almost succeeded in wiping out the heart of it, and it's newest addition. His blood ran even hotter when he remembered the last twenty-four hours, his panic when he realized Sam was missing, his terror when he couldn't find her.

"That's my problem with you right there you spineless son-of-a-bitch!" Jason waved his gun between Olivia and Julian for emphasis. "You let this decrepit, washed up hag slither into town and terrorize the people you claim to love, all while you protect her slimy ass from discovery and give her free reign to do as she wanted! How many times did Sam and I come to you and beg you to tell us the truth? How many chances did you get to come clean and let us help you to stop this? But instead of telling us what the hell was going on, you lied to us at every turn, spinning some stupid cloak and dagger bullshit that ended up putting your family in danger!" Jason was in Julian's face now, "you put _my_ family in danger!"

Julian would not be blamed for this. "No, _you_ put your family in danger! I begged you to give up the investigation, begged you to just stay out of it and leave it alone, but you couldn't do that. Don't blame me for what happened to Sam, I tried to warn you, dammit!"

Jason was livid. "Warn us? How did you warn us Julian? By telling us a whole bunch of cryptic _nothing_ every single time we asked you a question?" Jason was in his face. "Do Sam and I look like the timid kind of people to take directions and do nothing but obey some idiot's commands to stick our heads in the sand? Huh? Do we look like the cowardly type to you? Does Sonny Corinthos strike you as the type of man who will let his son's murderer go unpunished because your yellow ass _says_ that he should?"

Standing next to Julian as he tried not to cower from the onslaught, Olivia was in awe of Jason Morgan. Despite the fact that he had her held at gunpoint the man was one attractive powerhouse. He was forceful and obviously competent, given her current predicament, and he wasn't the least bit afraid of Julian or herself. She remembered Julian telling her that she had accomplished what no one else had ever been able to do, make Jason Morgan afraid, but now she realized that it had all been an act for her benefit as well as Julian's apparently, because this man before her was no one's puppet - not like her wimp of a brother, who had simply bowed to her every command. Jason Morgan had been playing them all along, and if her life wasn't in immediate danger she could actually admire the man. It didn't hurt that he had the body of a God either. At the thought she realized that she hated Sam a little more in that moment. Spritely little bitch had done well for herself, why had she been so lucky as to have the man, the family, the charmed life, and now that God of a man who gave her all of that was also willing to die for her? To kill for her? Oh, that bitch needed to die.

"It seems I have underestimated you, Mr. Morgan. Not something I do often and not something I'll do again."

"You underestimated my wife more, you stupid bitch! Neither you nor your sorry ass brother knows what Sam's life has been like, what she's had to survive to get to where we are. She's had to fight tooth and nail to survive and to get her life in order, and you come in here acting as if she's taken something from you, like she's somehow undeserving of every bit of happiness she's found, just because your miserable choices fucked up your own life. _Nothing_ has come easy to her, nothing! Do you even know the emotional trauma you put her through, thinking that she was losing our baby at eight months? Do you have any idea the kind of memories and heartache it brought up for her? Sam was eight and a half months pregnant with our first daughter when she collapsed and our daughter died. She was terrified that this was happening again, and you two put her through that." He was seeing red.

Jason hauled off and punched Julian in the gut and as he doubled over in pain, said "and that's for drugging me you son-of-a-bitch!" He then turned his attention to the tall blonde woman who was doing her best to appear still in control. He stared her in the eye and was about to continue when Reggie and Marty dragged a slouching body into the room and dumped him unceremoniously on a chair in the corner, tying his hands and feet to the arms and legs as his head slumped forward to rest on his chest. Without looking over at them Jason said to Olivia, "my men had to pick something up on the way here." He was almost enjoying the look of terror that lit her eyes for a minute before she masked them quickly again, as Jason continued. "Hope you weren't expecting some chivalrous rescue from your buddy, Rudge." He moved closer to her, slowly spitting his words at her, even more slowly fisting a raised hand close to her face as he ground out his next words between clenched teeth. "You tried to kill my wife and unborn child. You looked at her, eight months pregnant and you tossed her off a bridge like she was yesterdays garbage, and then you left her there, crumpled and broken, cold and in pain, to slowly bleed to death." His words were purposely slow and calculated to strike fear in her heart as she tried to anticipate his next move. There was no mistaking the raw love just dripping from him. "When I found her, my brave, unstoppable fighter was in labor, fighting with everything in her to protect our baby, to hold on for me to get to them. She was cold, and in pain, and terrified for our child, but she refused to give up."

Everyone in the room listened to his words, a range of emotion and varying degrees of fear passing between them. His men knew him well, knew that Sam Morgan was his Achilles heel, that anybody who was foolish enough to target her was as good as dead. They had seen it with Sam's ex, Nico, when he showed up and tried to hurt her. They had seen it with Manny Ruiz, who had made the unfortunate mistake of getting obsessed with her and had shot her in Jason's arms. They had seen it with Franco, who is only alive because he miraculously survived being shot twice at close range and escaped the fire set to his studio to cover up the body. These fools were just the newest in a line of idiots who chose the wrong woman to target, because Jason Morgan would move the world to keep Sam Morgan safe, and they were about to find out just how much he loved her. They almost felt sorry for the bastards.

Julian straightened up from the gut punch and looked over to where Rudge was discarded. The man who had terrorized him for weeks, at Olivia's bidding, suddenly didn't seem as frightening and far reaching as he'd appeared before. He looked at his sister and noticed that neither did she, now that she wasn't holding all the cards anymore. What exactly had he been so afraid of all this time? He had been so terrified for his family, doing everything that she asked of him in an attempt to appease her anger and sway her from her plans to hurt them, that he had let this entire thing get so far out of his control there was no way back. He had lost everything because of Olivia, and now he was going to die because his son-in-law blamed him for her actions.

Olivia was having trouble thinking straight. She had been counting on Rudge stopping by the hotel when she didn't answer his checkin call, and she'd hoped he'd somehow figure out what was going on and formulate a rescue plan, but now she was completely on her own. How had she not seen Jason Morgan strategizing like this, getting ready to hit? She had been so focused on getting General Hospital in her clutches that she had listened to her whiny brother and made herself believe him that he had neutralized Morgan and Corinthos. She should have known better. Nevertheless, all was not lost, she was Olivia Jerome after all, they thought they had killed her twenty years ago and she would show them what a survivor she was, she would show them all. Her eyes shot to Jason Morgan's neck as he cricked it and shook his arms like he was preparing for a tackle. Was he going to hit her?

As if reading her thoughts, Jason's lips curled into a smirk. "Sonny and I have always lived by a code…no women and children. We don't hurt women and children and we don't do business with men who do. But Faith Roscoe proved a long time ago that there's always an exception to every rule." He nodded his head towards the freezer and Reggie moved instantly to swing it open.

Olivia didn't even try to hide her fear this time. "You can't be serious! Surely you don't intend to leave me in there!"

Jason's response was to nod his head again and this time Marty stepped forward with a winter coat and tossed it at her head. She yanked the coat down and looked at Jason questioningly. His response struck fear into her cold heart.

"My wife and baby were stuck out in the cold for twenty-four hours, in the dead of winter, fighting for their lives, thanks to _you_. Let's see how you like it, let's see how you handle a taste of your own medicine. Get in!"

She was shaking her head, refusing to budge, when without warning, Jason rushed her and shoved her with brute force, sending her crashing into the door jamb behind her. She felt her back connect with wood and steel, and heard a loud snap as shooting pain crashed through her. As she cried out and crumbled to the floor in agony, Jason moved to stand over her, "I almost forgot, my wife was not only freezing and alone, but she was hurt too, bleeding internally from injuries she got getting shoved off a bridge."

Olivia looked up into the deadliest blue eyes she'd ever seen, as the shooting pain threatened to blind her vision, the man before her starting to get blurry and distant. "Please, please you can't do this. I didn't want to hurt her, I didn't intend to hurt her but she wouldn't listen." She reached her hand up, grasping for him but coming up with air, as she pleaded some more, "I just wanted to take her and stash her someplace to keep Julian in line. She hit me, I had to defend myself. Please it was an accident, she wouldn't cooperate. I just want Julian, he deserves to suffer for what he did to me."

Jason knelt down to look her in the eye. "Then you should have kept your revenge to Julian alone. My wife, my innocent unborn child, my troubled nephew, and my mother-in-law, none of them ever did anything to you. You wanted Julian to pay, yet innocent people around him are the only ones that you chose to hurt? Well, guess what lady? Sam Morgan might be Julian's daughter by blood, but she's the love of my life by destiny, so you picked the _wrong_ people to target, and now you're going to die screaming."

He moved away from her and Reggie and Marty each grabbed an arm and dragged her into the freezer, dropping her to the floor. Jason threw the coat at her again, "here you go, Sam had a coat on, so it's only fair that you get one too." His voice dropped to a level icier than the cold air coming from the freezer. "Let me know how you feel, after you've spent twenty-four fucking hours in the cold." He started to leave, then turned back to her, "and don't forget that Sam wasn't only hurt from you _pushing_ her, but she had to go through labor in that pain, so I'll see you in twenty-four hours, and you will finally find out what pain similar to childbirth feels like. I promise you will never have to wonder again."

Her screams filled the room as her panic multiplied at the realization of her situation. "You can't do this! Don't leave me in here!" She tried to stand so she could get out but her back felt on fire, wrenching a horrified scream from her lips as she fell helplessly back to the floor. Jason slammed the freezer door closed and turned to a terrified looking Julian. His men were all standing at attention, legs apart, hands clasped in front of them, ready to execute whatever command he threw out. Julian swallowed hard as he looked from Rudge in the corner, back to a still very angry Jason Morgan. He didn't know who was next, him or Olivia's crony, until Jason moved like a predator over to the man in the corner, who had been jarred awake by Olivia's frantic screams. He seemed confused before realization registered in his frightened eyes. Julian released a sigh of relief that Rudge was obviously next.

Jason looked down at the unfortunate bastard who had a bomb placed in Julian's car thus causing Morgan's death and he wanted to choke the life out of him with his bare hands. His men had obviously worked him over pretty good and he was barely able to hold his head up. Jason shook his head as he turned away from him suddenly and headed for the door. "Tomorrow. Keep them 'entertained' and see if they survive the night." As he passed by Max he said in a low tone, "he's Sam's father, don't kill him…but let him think that you're going to." He needed to get back to his wife and baby. The garbage could be taken out tomorrow.

Jason stopped by Alexis' house on his way back to the hospital. He had a mitigating urge to kiss his son and see him safe and tucked in before he went back to sit with his wife. Danny was already fast asleep but Jason reveled in the peace it brought him as he brushed his hand over his sleeping son's little head and kissed his cheek as he slept. His family was his sole purpose for living and nobody would ever hurt them again. He'd make sure of it. He kissed Danny's head and whispered, "I love you, buddy. Sweet dreams," before he headed back to GH. When he got there he went to the nursery first. Scout was asleep and as Jason lifted her gingerly from her crib, he marveled once again at how tiny and perfect she was, and he wanted more than anything for Sam to share these moments with them. "Hey little girl, remember me? Of course you do, it's daddy," he cooed to her. He rocked her in his arms as she stretched in her sleep and stuck a tiny fist in her mouth. "How about we go wake momma, huh? Let's go wake up momma, I bet you'll be the very best medicine for her right now."

He entered his wife's room and looked at her still immobile and he started talking to her softly, "hi baby, I'm back and guess who I have with me? Open your eyes, honey, open your beautiful brown eyes so you can see your daughter." He balanced the baby in the crook of one arm and stroked his wife's cheek with his fingers. "She's so beautiful, Sam, I know you don't want to miss out on any time with her. She's finally here, and she's healthy and strong, she just needs her momma. Won't you open your eyes for us, baby? C'mon, come back to us."

When she didn't move he sat in the chair by the bed and looked down at his sleeping daughter. "How did we get here, Sam? How did we get so lucky, huh? I still feel so guilty thinking about the night you were shot in my arms, and the doctors said we would never have this right here." He looked from his daughter to his wife and smiled joyfully, "boy, were they wrong! First we were blessed with our beautiful little boy, and now our angel is here. But you're missing it, Sam. You have to wake up so you can see our baby girl. You fought so hard for her, remember? Long before I ever knew what loving you would bring to my life, you had this dream for our family. Your 'what if' is coming true right before our very eyes, and I need you to share every blissful moment of it with me. I need you to share everything with me, you know you're _it_ for me, always and forever, and I need you like I need my next breath. Please, Sam, you have to fight just a little bit harder, honey, fight just a little bit more to come back to us."

He placed his daughter facedown on his wife's chest and as she settled her tiny little face near her momma, Jason found himself fighting back the tears. His voice cracked as he continued, "I know you're tired, and I know that you're in pain, but I need my Phoenix to rise one more time for me. You're stronger than I am, Sam, you are the strongest person I've ever met. You've always fought for us, you fought so we could have Danny, you fought for our baby girl, you're my little fighter and I know you always will be. Please wake up baby, I need you so much, our kids need you so much, and I'm not strong enough to do any of this without you!"

Just then Jason's heart stopped. She moved her hand. She moved her hand and lifted it towards their daughter, just as her beautiful eyes started to flutter open. "Oh, thank you God! Thank you, God!" Jason leant his face close to her face, as her eyes registered his presence and the tube sticking out of her. He sought to calm her before she started to panic. "It's okay, honey, it's okay. The doctors needed to help you breathe, they'll get it out in a minute, okay?" She nodded her head slightly as he reached for the call button by her head and pressed for the nurse. Sam's eyes traveled down to where her daughter laid on her chest and she smiled through her eyes. Jason saw her looking and rushed to reassure her, "she's fine, Sam. She's healthy, and strong, she's everything you ever dreamed she'd be, baby. She's been waiting for you to wake up."

The nurse came then, and when she saw Sam was awake she immediately paged her doctor. A couple minutes later the tube was removed from her lungs and after swallowing a few times and using ice chips to soothe her throat, Sam reached for her baby girl, who was being rocked in Jason's arms. Her voice was raspy as she asked, "are you sure she's okay Jason? She wasn't too cold? She's breathing okay now?"

Jason smiled at her questions. "She's awesome, Sam. They gave her a thorough exam and she spent the night in a warming unit, but they found nothing at all wrong with her. She's just perfect, just like her momma."

As Sam stroked her sleeping baby girl's hair and stared lovingly at her beautiful little face, she found silent tears rolling down her cheeks. "Look at her, Jason. We have such beautiful babies."

Jason went to her and sat in the chair next to them, reaching up to brush her tears away and to cup his wife's cheek. "Hey, hey, hey, why the crying, huh? Wipe those tears. This is good stuff."

Sam laughed softly through her tears. "I know. I'm happy." She leaned her cheek into his palm as she looked lovingly at her husband, "you came for us."

Jason reached up and kissed her lips softly, whispering against them as he kissed her again, "I'll always come for you. I love you, so much."

"We love you too." She returned her husband's kiss. "How's our boy? Is he okay?"

"He's fine, I went to see him at Alexis' earlier when you were asleep. Kristina's been keeping him busy, but he misses you."

"I can't wait to see him too, and for him to meet his sister, our other little miracle." She looked at her husband worriedly, "you left earlier? Where did you go?" She knew him and knew that he would not leave the hospital when he was scared for his family, not without a purpose. She feared that she knew what that purpose was.

Jason moved to reassure her. "Don't worry about that now, don't think about anything other than getting better and getting home with our babies."

"Jason?"

"Sam?"

She smiled and shook her head resignedly, turning back to their daughter as she sank further into the bed, allowing her eyes to drift closed. She felt tired and drained, yet interestingly full and complete. "I trust you, Jason. Just please, stay out of jail, you have diaper duty and three a.m. feedings coming your way." She smiled sleepily. Her husband was also smiling as he watched the beautiful picture his wife and baby daughter made, tucked into each other, both peaceful and happy, finally. He was going to make damn sure they stayed that way, and he would start tomorrow by ridding Port Charles of all threats to their happiness.


End file.
